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Coyotes blank Blackhawks to advance

Ray Whitney #13 and Keith Yandle #3 of the Phoenix Coyotes hug teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 after Larsson scored a second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on April 23, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.

CHICAGO — The Coyotes won a playoff series for the first time since moving to Phoenix thanks to Monday's 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of a Western Conference quarter-final series.

Since relocating to Phoenix from Winnipeg prior to the start of the 1996-97 season, the Coyotes have made the playoffs seven times, but this is the first time they've advanced. In all, the franchise had lost 10 straight opening-round matchups since the 1986-87 season.

Next up in the semifinal round for the Coyotes will be Nashville, which defeated the Red Wings in five games to advance. Phoenix will have home-ice advantage in the series thanks to winning the Pacific Division while the Predators finished fourth in the conference.

Phoenix and Chicago had played the previous five games to overtime, tying a record set by Toronto and Montreal in the 1951 Stanley Cup final, but this game was won thanks to 39 saves from Mike Smith, who posted his first career playoff shutout.

Gilbert Brule, Kyle Chipchura and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each posted a goal and an assist for the Coyotes, who also got a goal from Antoine Vermette.

Corey Crawford was tagged for all four goals on 20 shots for the Blackhawks, who were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round for the second year in a row after winning the Stanley Cup in 2010.

The first period passed scoreless as Smith was steady, stopping 16 shots which included a nice save off an Andrew Shaw one-timer on a two-on-one break about seven minutes in. Crawford needed to stop just two shots to keep the Coyotes off the board.

Smith continued to shine in the second period, making a left pad save and covering up the puck on a one-timer from Brendan Morrison, who was all alone to the right of the net with 14:58 left in the second.

On the power play, the Coyotes finally broke through when a slap shot from Ekman-Larsson in the high slot made its way through a screen in front from Martin Hanzal with 6:46 to play in the second.

Just 2:24 into the third, Phoenix gave itself some room when Chipchura sent a backhand saucer pass from behind the net to the front where Brule one-timed it home.

Any chance Chicago had of rallying was killed when Jimmy Hayes took a major and misconduct for boarding Michal Rozsival at the 8:47 mark. Vermette scored off a tip-in from the left side thanks to a Mikkel Boedker feed with 6:56 to play.

Chipchura scored his first of the playoffs with 5:04 left to cap the scoring in the game and the series.

Game Notes

Phoenix defenceman Rostislav Klesla got cut in the face early in the game and left, but did return to play . . . Rozsival had to be helped off the ice and left the game following the hit . . . Phoenix went 2-for-4 on the power play, while Chicago was 0-for-2.